I'm not really equipped to photograph birds in flight - I need a much bigger lens. But, When twelve big bird started circling the trees not too far from the Spring Creek marina, I decided (being pushed by my wife) that I needed to try to photograph one.This one came pretty much overhead, though even with my 200mm telephoto, I had to crop out about 80% of the photo to get a decent "close-up." In case my wife is wondering why I keep getting higher resolution cameras, this photo will certainly answer that question. Now, Deb, how about letting me get a 400mm lens?(We thought these might be eagles but after doing a little research, I've decided they are turkey vultures or buzzards. Oh well. . . )
bald eagle
07-20-09 The Bald (But Wounded) Eagle
Here's another one from the Raptor Center we visited in Sitka, Alaska. I don't know the story on this beautiful bird aside from the fact that he/she is a survivor who now has a permanent home showing off to photographers and other visitors.
For the tech geeks, I should mention that this photo is about a 3/4 crop, meaning that I threw about 3/4 of the photo away. I was wondering why I needed a camera with 23 million pixels and this photo is the answer. Of course, it helps to shoot with a lens like the 70-200 2.8L.